Sunday, October 31, 2010

Well, since P-Luv asked, we'll make an endorsement - but only one. Since we are SC6, and the district is our focus, we're going to try and help at least one person. In this year of anti-incumbency, we could not think of a better person to get the hint of it than The Whipper himself, Jim Clyburn. Since it worked in the June runoff (just barely), SC6 is endorsing Jim Pratt for Congress...

Granted, we don't know everything about Pratt. In fact, we've never even met or spoken to him directly - something we consider to be a big mistake on his part. But, from all indications that we've gotten, Pratt has run the most active campaign in the Sixth since Clyburn took office. If he works as hard as he has the past eight months, he will do fine in Congress. Running is easy, winning is tough, keeping your promises the toughest part of all.

Now, do we have much hope that Pratt can win in a 53% black district? Not really... No one has gone above 33% the entire time. We're almost looking for one of those 'moral victories' .... or more like one good cold-cock shot to the nose that bloodies up your nose, makes you take a step back, and wonder what the hell just happened. My hope was for the Republican to get 40%, which would mean that Clyburn had eroding Democratic support. I think Pratt will do it, and then some...

Misguided as it may be, there are some Republicans who think that Clyburn's seat can be won, so there are actually motivated people out there putting in time and effort, which is the real victory this year.. Don't give me five geniuses - give me 50 people who aren't as smart, but will follow me into the gates of hell, or die trying.... They've finally shown up.

As much grief as John Spratt has gotten this year, the truth is that Spratt is tired... to tired to care anymore, and he is just following the band. Jim Clyburn is the leader of the band, the one who has Barack Obama's ear. The one who is helping him develop policy, and worse - getting it passed. In our book, Jim Clyburn is almost as much to blame for some of the misguided work the Democrats have done as Obama himself. Nothing would make us happier than a wake-up call to Clyburn - an election where even an arrogant politician like him has to take notice, and back off the ridiculous theory that Government can fix everything...

Do we expect a miracle? Nope. We're realists here. Dreaming is what got us into this mess in the first place, from both parties. But, hard work does earn something from us here. That something is our endorsement, for what it's worth...

If You Refer to the Map Above, You Can See the Emprical Data Clearly States That a Majority of the...... Aww, Forget It!

Taking a quick look at the US House and Senate races, there is good news in that the Supermajority in the Senate and House will be coming to an end. That is the first , and perhaps best good news we have for November 2nd. We have long felt that when either party - even Republicans - rules with an iron fist, bad things happen. On a side note, I have just been kicked out of the GOP.....

Most signs point to a small Republican majority in the House, which will make us infinitely happy to see Nancy Pelosi and The Whipper go back to their closets... Now, will there be a GOP Majority is the Senate? Ehh, not so much. According to a Washington Post poll and map (which is about a slanted towards the Republicans as you'll find), the Democrats have 48 seats which are not up, safe of leaning, to the Republicans 44. With two of the crappiest candidates ever put on the ballot this side of Alvin Greene, we here in New York are not helping the GOP cause. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are safe....

With only 8 toss-ups, the GOP would have to win seven of them for a majority.... any majority. While a few of these races are Democrat stalwarts like Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray - which all three could lose - four of them have no incumbent. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois and Kentucky are toss ups with no bullseye on an incumbent like Reid. In this year of anti-incumbency, it's hard to blame problem on a candidate that isnt in DC, so the job is tougher.

Our guess here is that Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois (Obama' old seat) go GOP, along with Reid and Murray's. California and Colorado are just too liberal to go, and the Manchin name in Deliveranceland is too strong. That would leave a 51-49 Democratic majority. How is that good? Well, in our always optimistic (stop laughing) view, it gives the Senate, House and White House an 'opportunity' (re: necessity) for bipartisanism, which generally leads to decent legislation. Of course, it more likely will leads to NOTHING getting done for the next 2 years....

No a majority is not a mandate for either party.... and that's a good thing. maybe for once, our leaders will see that the 'R' or 'D' isn't all that important. Doing right by the people is. I said STOP LAUGHING !!!!!

The past two weeks, lots of us here in Yankeeville were wishing for the days when you could just hook up a pair of Rabbit Ears, and watch the Boob Tube. That's because, like what has been going on a lot lately, local cable TV giant Cablevision and News Corp - owner of Fox 5 and My 9 in New York, took part in a gigantic pissing contest. As usual, the big losers were viewers.

Fox and Cablevision's agreement ended about 2 weeks ago. Usually, the cable provider gives in, due to a lack of influence. However, Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - a direct competitor to News Corp's New York Post, as well as the New York Knicks and Rangers, used all their power as well to get the people on their side. Truth be known, they did an effective job at it. While News Corp was silent on why an agreement wasn't reached, Cablevision was EVERYWHERE, spouting that Fox wanted more than ABC, CBS, and NBC combined - more than doubel what they were getting.

While the Fox blackout was limited - Fox News and sports channels were still on - New Yorkers were left out of the first two games of the World Series, as well as a Giants game. Their regular programming was gone too, so fruitcakes who like Glee and other shows missed out as well. Fortunately, an agreement (whose terms were not announced) was made yesterday, just in time for Game 3 of the Series. No doubt Fox was hoping for a Yankees appearance in order to gouge some more cash, but it backfired.

The holdout did solidify two things for us here: first, the FCC's mandatory digital signal HAS given consumers less choice and power, and that they could have stepped in and arbitrated a settlement weeks ago (like local Reps and Senators asked them to), but didn't. Which lends us the question.. Exactly what the fuck is it that you people do??? Another Clyburn in DC, doing NOTHING for you, as usual....

"The true principle of government is this: Make the system complete in it's structure, give a perfect proportion and balance to it's parts.... and the powers you give it will never affect your security."

-Alexander Hamilton, 1788.

If we didn't know better, we'd swear he was describing a woman. In this case, Elizabeth Ashley's (isn't that a interior decorator?) complete structure, perfect proportion and balanced parts fit ideally. That and a pose that would make Johnny Cash proud! Where can we meet this girl?

With Election day only 2 days away, the pontificating of a GOP runaway is everywhere... If so, might we give this little suggestion to our newly-minted representatives and senators. Much like the NASCAR-themed term, 'Catching is Easy, Passing is Hard", saying you're going to cut the budget is simple .....then you look at the numbers, and get pressure from all sides. Yeah, it can be done, but it ain't easy. You'll see...

Saturday, October 30, 2010

With just a couple days left until the elections, we thought we'd muse on a couple things we've noticed while up here. Like the language and the dress, political campaigns work differently here as well. Maybe it's due to local campaign laws, or the budgets, or perhaps they just do it different up here. But, we couldn't help notice the minor differences....

Yes, they do love their mass mailers. They are unobtrusive, leaving you time to peruse them at your convenience, but when 5-6 of them come every day, you get lost in the shuffle... Missing at least from our house is a South Carolina favorite- Robocalls. I lived on these in 2006, but I haven't heard a single one interrupting our dinner at home, and I suppose that's a good thing. Every get cursed out my a New Yorker on the phone? They use words I never even heard of before as curses....

As expensive as TV is in the 11th largest US market, it doesn't stop State Senate candidates from spending hundreds of thousands on it. And they play just as dirty as they do down in SC. Nothing is out of bounds, and everyone raised your taxes at some point. Hey, it IS politics, right?

Now, you would think that New Yorkers do everything bigger than South Carolinians do, but there is one big thing that we haven't seen .... 4x8 signs , or even 3x6's. Or billboads. Yard signs are all we've seen. They're not very useful on the side of the Long Island Expressway, but you do the best with what you've got....

What I'm going to tell you today will probably shock you a little, but more than likely, you'll just be in total disbelief that this occurred. Earlier this week, my brother Matt and I were having dinner. We discussed the mess that is our family, and somehow the conversation turned a bit, and Matt suddenly asked me, 'Hey, you know Aunt Joanie passed away, right?' The answer to this was no, I was not aware of it. 'When was this?' I asked... Matt said 'Uhh, about a year ago'. Thanks to the magic of the internet, I found out today that she passed away May 18, 2009, a year and a half ago. I'm not even sure how old she was, but I think she was 75....

To put this into perspective, this wasn't an aunt I never met that was 99 years old - this was my Mom's sister. When my Mom was going through open heart surgery number two, Aunt Joanie took me in and cared for me. I was one year old... Of course, I have no memory of this. Growing up, she was one of the few relatives that we regularly spent holidays and dinners with. But like many families, personal things and money played a major part in the brakeup....

In 1984, my grandfather passed away, and his decent-sized estate was split between mostly my Mom and Joanie, who cared for Grandpa the last few years. She got the house and some cash, and my parents got some cash as well. What my parents did with their money I don't know (and it's not my business), and Joanie sat on the house during the Real Estate boom in the 80's and 90's, before selling and moving to North Carolina, just a few miles from my Mom. Mom died in 1991, and the bonds that she kept with literally everyone died with her. That was the year I graduated college - and spent the next year making every mistake you can, what I refer to as 'The Lost Year'.

I was so broke that I couldn't even afford to make phone calls, so this got Aunt Joanie ticked at me, along with a few other spats with members of my family. Granted, she didn't call me either, but this matters nothing to an Italian family in New York - we hold grudges like NO ONE... Finally in 1995, I spent a week in NC, and decided to try to mend things with Aunt Joanie... I called, and she kinda sarcastically asked if she had a nephew. Then she said that she really had nothing to say to anyone in my family - without about emotion as if I was a telemarketer selling insurance over the phone... After that, I gave up. That was the last time I talked to her..

No, I still thought about trying again, knowing that eventually this day would come, and that I'd feel some regret for not making another effort. This is just how my family seems to be since Mom passed away - a series of unparallel lies that somehow never cross or touch each other. The reunion this summer with my dad's family was similar: I might as well have crashed a reunion of strangers. I haven't mentioned how Matt found out of Joanie's passing .... he went to the cemetary to visit Grandpa and Joanie's son, Joe (he died in 1989) - and there she was on the headstone. From what I know, no one called.

Yeah, there is plenty of blame to go around on this. Everyone has at least one or two examples of 'I should have done this', and things would be different. As heartless as this whole story sounds, I suppose if I really was a cold person, I wouldn't have thought twice about Joanie passing away. I worry a lot about how alone I am at times. I have lots of acquaintences, but I rarely get phone calls, asking what i'm doing tonight. That's my own fault, I suppose. It's a byproduct of how I was raised in a way, or how the last two decades has affected me.

I see a lot of families that are very tight, and it makes me very jealous. My family now is like a pile of cats.. I speak semi-regularly to two of my siblings. Another I talk to when they need something, and the fourth I haven't spoken to in three years - I think. Maybe yours is the same, but most I've seen are at least marginally better. At this point, all I can think of doing is trying to bridge that gap with these strangers that share my blood. My Aunt is gone, but her only other child is still here, so the goal will be to at least get a discourse started, and go from there. The same with my immediate family, although that will be easier. After all, we're not kids anymore. Shit happens, and I picture the regret being exponentially worse with them if I did the same thing..

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Which One Is Tom, and Which Is Ed? One Too Many Clements on the Ballot May Cause Election Day Confusion ....

We'll admit, we never ran into this problem... When your last name is Reino, you won't have to worry about there being a candidate with the same last name on the ballot. Voters might have trouble pronouncing it, but.....

Taking note of my absentee ballot, however, we noticed something that could cause trouble for one candidate in the 12th Solicitor's race. Ed Clements has a tough enough race against Rose Mary Parham on November 2nd, but there is an unrelated race that might make it even tougher. In the asswhipping that will be Jim DeMint's pummeling of Alvin Greene and his action figure and his immensely effective campaign literature, enter Green Party candidate TOM CLEMENTS. BTW, Tom is the guy on the right, standing in front of what appears to be a garbage dump, next to a mental hospital...

I put out a Facebook message, asking who I should vote for (like I'd listen), and one friend invoked me to vote for Sheheen and Clements.. She lives in Myrtle Beach, so what would she know about Ed Clements. That's when I realized that she was talking about Tom Clements.... and that got me thinking. This will be a phenomenon restricted only to Florence and Marion counties - just like Roswell with UFO sightings - but it could essentially cost Ed Clements the election. As usual, it all works out for Jim DeMint!

Seriously, think of the average Joe in the area, who all he knows is to vote for Clements, and he/she votes for the wrong one? It's not going to be a massive voter fraud, but as close as the Clements-Parham race is going to be, a couple hundred morons from Centenary or Lake City could send Clements (Ed, that is) packing home...

It'll be easy to find out if it does happen: simply see what Clements (we're talking about Tom now) pulls statewide, and compare it to Florence and Marion Counties. If it's eschew, we - rather Clements - Ed Clements , that is - have a problem.. If the variation is greater than his , Ed Clements, loss, then you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a grievance.

Of course, the other thing that can happen is that everyone in the rest of South Carolina will think that Clements - we're back to Tom, now - is actually Clements - Ed, that is again - and Clements (we're talking Tom now) will be elected US Senator, where the voter inquiry will be invoked, and Ed Clements will be given the seat by attrition or confusion, whichever you prefer. Are you still with me?

Either way, this is a no-win situation for Clements (either one for that matter), but mostly Ed Clements - except for now, he would have an excuse. If his name were Reino, this never would have happened......

Before the harrassment of my not owning a 'real camera' starts, I'll acknowledge the bad shot, and just move on... Like I said, I got my absentee ballot this week. To go over each office would be predictable and not very exciting. Yes, I went straight Republican, although maybe I had to think once or twice. One thing that struck me is the order candidates are listed. I guess the Green Party pulled the lucky ball from the hopper, because they are listed first for every office they entered a candidate. Republicans were second, Libertarians third, and the Democrats drew the outside post, unless you consider the Working Families and United Citizens parties as viable... We don't.

Instead, we're going to devote a whole post to the Amendments, which in some cases are more important than the candidates themselves. Candidates come , go and eventually die, but the Constitution is forever - or at least until the other party comes into power and reverses everything. Like most years, this year's amendments include some good ideas, and others make us wonder just a bit who felt THIS was important....

Amendment 1 - Hunting and Fishing Rights.

"A yes vote will make it a constitutional right for citizens to hunt and fish and will permit the State to legally provide for proper wildlife management and the protection of private property rights." is what the official explanation is... Like we said, we're not sure why a Constitutional right to hunt and fish is necessary. First they come for the guns - then they come for the fishing poles.... Either someone in Columbia had a buddy that has a gripe with DNR, or someone found a loophole that makes the agency technically illegal. We're not sure, but the overall bill seems OK with us. SC6 Votes Yes.

Amendment 2 - Secret Union Ballots"A yes vote will give employees the constitutional right to vote by secret ballot when they are voting on whether to be represented by a labor union." We go a long way back on this issue, and we are solid in secret ballot. how would you like having to go the the polls on Election Day, and be REQUIRED to tell everyone how you voted? That's what Unions are used to doing here, so they can know who to pressure to vote how they want. To us, it's evil and flat-out un-American. It's an employees business and right to vote how they want - in secret. SC6 Votes Yes.

Amendment 3 - Rainy Day Fund Increase "A yes vote will increse the amount of money state government must keep in the General Reserve Fund (aka Rainy Day Fund) from 3% to 5% of the previous year's revenue."This is obviously a hot topic issue after the budget problems the past couple years. Essentially, it's increased forced savings for the State, which HAS to balance the budget every year. It is a graduated increase over the next 4 years, and there is a possibility of budget (and tax) hikes to cover the extra $$ from devious legislators. But to us, saving more for a rainy day is a good idea for anyone .... even Government! SC6 Votes Yes.

Amendment 4 - Rainy Day Fund vs. Budget Cuts"A yes vote will require that the Capital Reserve Fund's first priority is to replenish the State's General Reserve Fund (Rainy Day Fund) instead of serving to offset midyear budget cuts at state agencies". This is one that requires more thought - too much thought for someone going into a booth and seeing this for the first time. It's basically trying to establish priorities in spending, and that is the problem to a degree. Everyone has different priorities, and each year 180 legislators get together and set those priorities with the budget. Yeah, lower than expected revenues screw it up, but let's go back to the household allegory again... You have debts and responsibilities, and suddenly, you lose a bonus check, or you get fired. Do you start saving immediately to avoid doing it again in the future, or do you pay those bills you have now first? Easy enough. Maybe there are some ways to cut bills, but hacking the budget to SAVE FIRST seems a little ass backwards to us, and out guess is there was a politician with his/her foot stuck in a theory book more the real world on this one. SC6 Votes No.

There, now you will be an informed (and slightly instructed) voter on November 2nd. If you disagree with us on any of these issues, that's cool - after all, your vote counts just as much as ours does.... although it shouldn't. as for our picture, here's our reply....

Happy Sunday to all !! I wish I could say things are great here, but once again, I've come down with a malady that I can't seem to get a real hold on. Two weeks ago, I got the official analysis of my blood tests - High Bad Cholesterol. Overall, I blew a 259, but 170 of it was bad cholesterol. They blame it on heredity, I blame it on a decade of BBQ and pizza every Sunday at Bobby's house....

So, I got a prescription for Crestor, and the first ten days seemed great. It drops your blood pressure, so I slept like a baby, and other things seemed better too, if you catch my drift.. I stopped by the doctor's offie Wednesday for a standard follow-up visit. It seemed fine, aside from the gouging of my arm from another blood test (I bruise easily). She asked about 'any pins and needles?', and i blew it off, because I had none.. Well, the pins and needles started Friday, along with some standard allergic congestion. It was so bad on the way to work, that I took a two hour nap and popped a Sudafed, before I started work.

I immediately stopped the Crestor, but the pins and needles still come up anywhere from the top of my head to my legs. The best way to describe it is like wearing a wool sweater without a t-shirt under it. No rashes, just the feelign to want to scratch. Hopefully, my doctor will call back Monday AM to tell me what to do, but an occassional Benadryl and cough drops are helping. Still, the perpetual feeling that you're going to die soon is a bit taxing. Still, the fuzziness continues on in the world, and so we report on it - although it does itch...

As Election Day grows closer, a Republican sweep of the state offices seems as likely as ever. Nikki Haley has a 14 point edge, and barring an 'October Surprise', Vince Sheheen appears to be heading for a loss. I wouldn't expect anything new, because nine days left is prime time to drop a bomb. If the GOP couldn't take out Haley, the Dems won't. Having boobs like Carol Fowler run your show will do that...

I just got my SC Absentee Ballot in the mail today. I guess I could fill out straight line, but that gives me the feeling that I'm a sheep, and actually READING a ballot is beyond my ability. That, and there are a few local races that are non-partisan or the GOP left blank. I've only voted for one Democrat this past decade... I did find out that I now live in District 8, so a 2012 run against Johnnie Rodgers is out of the question. Maybe that Wilson guy will run again - but will he run as a Democrat or Republican this time? That race will be the tiebreaker, I guess...

Speaking of Democrats, kudos to P-Luv and Mayor Hickory Head for throwing a successful Oyster Roast this week in Flotown. How do you fit 1200 people in the parking lot at Wukela Law Firm??? There's always a space for my car there, but 1200? DAMN....Must have counted everyone ten times. ;) It would have been nice to attend, but I was busy, and Jim Clyburn still has that restraining order bullshit against me...

Updating an earlier post, the supernoisy Sun Chips bag has been discontinued, but for me, it's too late. Stevie is already addicted to the Garden Salsa flavor (the kid only eats like three things), so any chip bag noise is like blowing a Dog Whsitle to him....

On the social scene, it's been a bit confusing. I got another wink from a decent looking girl on Match, so we'll see. Meanwhile, Julie calls me up to do stuff, but not much happens. Went over her house to see the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg movie on Friday, but her friend was there too... Think I need to throw the buddy $20 to leave. Two people with ADD hooking up is probably a bad idea anyway, but neither can focus long enough to remember to make a move!

Evil thought of the day.... Justin Bieber has got to go - or at least hit puberty. Maybe that lawsuit of him 'assaulting' someone in a Laser Tag game will ruin him. See, he is gay, because getting charged with assault in a game of Laser Tag is the queerest thing I can think of...

The Battle of Surfer Cooler rages on. Carol swears she didn't buy this Capri Sun flavor, so i must have. I told her I only buy Wild Cherry or Pacific Cooler. She won't budge, neither will, so that Surfer Cooler has been literally sitting in the fridge for a month, unconsumed. I just reversed my opinion..... THIS is the queerest thing I can think of.

I heard on XM that there is now a channel devoted to ....... drumroll, please..... PEARL JAM! As much of a fan as I was of Eddie and the Boys, Pearl Jam 24/7/365 might cause even me to jump off a brige in my flannel shirt and Doc Martens! But, hey, it's free...

I went apartment hunting this week. Check this out. 1 BR/1BA apartments run from $1100-1350 a month here! I might talk Joe and Carol into letting me hang until New Year's, or at least until I'm sure my job is safe...

'The freedoms and happiness of Man are the sole objects of all legitimate government.'

- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Thaddeus Kosciusko, 1810.

As usual, TJ is telling the truth... But truth be known, we'd like the freedom to hook up with Lilly Robbins, who seems like a real girl (she has a 31 inch waistline). THAT would make us happy.. Our guess is since she's a Dolphins cheerleader, P-Luv already knows all about her, and likely has a room dedicated to her.... OK, maybe just a table or closet.

A decent week overall for cartoons, but since Halloween is right around the corner, we went with the topical 'toon... Seems like 'Hope' was a million years ago, but The Change might be here before we know it!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

No, the body isn't cold yet (or officially dead for that matter), but we like to give the deceased-to-be an opportunity to read their obituary before they go .... just ask Les Paul. After tonight, we have a feeling the New York Yankees 2010 season may be overwith... Rest in Peace, my friends.

Yes, with the exception of one inning in Game 1, the Texas Rangers have pitched, hit, outhustled and just wanted to win more than our beloved Yanks. To put it bluntly, thye play national league ball better than the National League teams do, which allows us to forecast a Rangers World Series win before we even know who they're playing.

The ironic part is that the Yanks had a deal for Cliff Lee with Seattle in place, before they dealt him to Texas. It's more frustrating to know the guy kicking your ass for the 6th time in a year should be wearing pinstripes - but he might be soon. Whatever it takes, Cashman. Whatever it takes..... Still, the Yankees are playing stupid. They can't hit with men on base, they can't get a third strike, and if a guy is shutting you down, try bunting to get his ass off the mound and shake him up a bit. Something, anything....

No, the Yankees aren't supposed to win every year, which is why they play the game. On average, they win every 4th year.... But, there is a lot of work to do: Javier Vasquez was a dud - again. AJ Burnett appears to be almost finished right behind Vasquez. Jorge Posada is getting old, along with Derek Jeter, although Jeter did show up for the playoffs. If Jeter gets a pay raise, the Yanks will regret it... Andy Pettitte and Mo Rivera chug along fine, but they too have only a few years left as well. A fulltime DH would be ideal as well, and maybe a guy to take leftfield. Brett Gardner is a great platoon guy, but some days, his bat doesn't get it done.

Anyone who has watched the team this past two months knew that this was possible. It's not a team having a bad week in a short series - it's a slumping team being exposed for it's shortcomings by a - GULP!! - better team.

A few months back, we showed you Joe's Viper, to encourage the youth of America to stay in school, by showing them that an education pays off.... Well, in case the Viper didn't get some kids jacked up enough, let us introduce you to his new ride...

Yes, Joe recently fulfilled a childhood dream, and bought a Lamborghini Murcielago. He's doing it Italian-style now... To give you an idea of just how sick this car is, Joe's had 6 Corvettes and 2 Vipers, and he spends all night after work drinking beer in the garage, staring at the Lambo, and giggling like an eight year old. Yes, high-performance cars do that to adult men. As for the Viper? Fear not .... He gave it to his brother as a 50th birthday gift.

Today's advice? Stay in school, study hard, and one day you might 'Have Murci' also... No, I haven't driven in it yet.

Yes, in New York they can be a little self-centered. Other places in the world don't matter, and they sure as hell don't know jack about South Carolina college rivalries... So, when they decorated the office in an Autumn motif of orange and garnet balloons, I questioned it a little.

'Hey, you can't put garnet and orange together - they don't match', I said... 'Why not?', asked the decorator with a look of confusion. 'Because they naturally clash - orange is Clemson and garnet is Carolina.... They just don't go together!" was my reasoning. To which I got, 'Who the f**k are Carolina and Clemson'. Some days, my work is really cut out for me here.......

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Like I said, I do still get a rumbling or two of the goings-on in Florence politics every now and then. I got word of this from one side earlier in the week, and today I got another side of the same story. If either side is even remotely close to the truth, then this does not make the Florence Republican Party look good.

No, you don't expect both sides of a race to be perfectly respectable gentlemen or ladies. After all, this IS South Carolina politics we're talking about here. But, after hearing about the silliness that went on between two 'leaders' in our county party last week, my first thought is that Councilman Morris Anderson and Florence Republican Womens Chair Stephanie McLaughlin-Rawlinson should be sent to Time Out.

I'll try to leave the candidates out of this, because it doesn't directly involve either one of them, but we said earlier this year that the 12th Solicitor race between incumbent Democrat Ed Clements and Republican challenger Rose Mary Parham would be the toughest fought (translation: ugliest) local race. But a physical conflict between a woman and a 72 yr old man over a sign would be hilarious......... if it weren't so pathetic.

After hearing both sides, here is what appears to have occurred: the Parham Team got permission from a landowner in West Florence to put up a large sign on property she owns. They dug the hole, and were going to put the sign in. In the meantime, Dr. Anderson called to ask if he could put up a sign for Clements (Anderson is one of the GOP for Clements leaders who sent out support letters earlier this year). There is some question as to whether this landowner - an 87 yr old woman - knew if this was a Clements sign, or if she thought Anderson was running again ( he runs again in 2012)... Yes, the Clements sign was placed in Parham's hole. Wait , that sounds bad...

Word is, Rawlinson got word of this, and went out to observe (translation: remove) the sign. Anderson just happened to come to the intersection as this occurred, and things got physical. No, no one got slugged, but reportedly Rawlinson (who is probably bigger than Anderson, and 35 years younger) got a nice bruise on her arm, and tried to press charges....

Now, we're not here to decide who is right and wrong in stupid shit like this, that is Kenney Boone's job. But, this is a typical case of things getting out of control, much like knocking down a house over a leaky faucet.... On Dr. Anderson's side, if he wasn't clear on whose sign he was putting up, he should have been. Also, grabbing a woman by the arm is a very bad idea, and technically is assault - I should know (see July 8, 2006)...

As for Stephanie, we all know she is a political bull in a China Shop who sweats the small stuff too much. If someone puts their sign in a hole you got an OK for, guess what you do? Call the landowner, and make them pull up their sign, and put yours up for good measure. Taking down someone else's sign that they did technically get an OK for is destruction of personal property. Fighting a 72 year old man isn't a great idea either. All I can say is thank God I wasn't around, because I'd be in the clink again. At least it was a woman and an older man. We young white guys are the ones who get all emotional over this political stuff ..... RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!

Hopefully by now, this incident is funny, but knowing both parties involved, I doubt it. No doubt Anderson will have a challenger in 2012 if he runs again - and Rawlinson will be the first to volunteer to run it! The sad part is that even though this is a General Election race, both people involved are Republicans - and they both should know better than this...

Two weeks ago, upon my arrival to Flotown, I stopped at All-Star Sports on Second Loop Rd, and bought my first Gamecock jersey - yes, Moye Graham has likely stopped reading this blog now. I just can't pull off orange, Moye... Anyway, I felt it was a magical jersey - a sort of Harry Potter-like garnet miracle worker. For no less than a week after buying it, it pulled off the impossible - a total annihilation of #1 Alabama.

Back to reality, or as Gamecock fans call it, the usual shit. I checked in last night twice during the bye-week, er game, with Kentucky. And somehow the 14-0 and 28-10 thumping I watched turned into a 31-28 loss - the 7th straight road loss for South Carolina. Guys, unless you play 13 home games, you can't win a National Championship by losing every road game.

Perhaps if they renamed the city they were playing in Columbia, or played Missouri (Columbia, MO), or at least put up a sign on the opposing stadium that said 'Welcome to Williams-Brice', thye might break the schneid.... Until then, it's just another momentous example of the torture that University of South Carolina football fans endure every Fall. Somehow, this one seems a bit tougher. Must be the jersey - or the Yankee wearing it. Next time, I'll see if the Malocchio works across the Mason-Dixon line.

Since we haven't been around the past few weeks, we better have a good one, right? We'll it's okay.. the top story this week was the Chilean Miners rescue. Since it was a rare 'happy story', we managed to find a couple cartoonists to put a sarcastic spin on it, which we love. While we liked the one with a rescuer giving sunglasses to a miner stuck in the dark for 2 months to avoid all the media camera flashes (there were 2000 of them , after all), we always give the nod to one that can mix topical events with politics.... What is down that hole, anyway????

Yes, we have cried wolf on this a thousand times. However, after a few weeks and possibly months of thinking about this, we think it's time to close up shop here at SC6. It's been one hell of a ride for all of us. We've been to the mountaintop, and hit rock bottom here. We've been praised , shunned, respected and dissed a lot in the nearly five years since we started anonymously - and we're immediately (and accidentally) outed by Ross Shealy about a week into it....

For those of you who actually give a shit, he question may be why? For those of you who know me well, you probably already know, but we'll explain the various reasons. First and foremost, there is no time for this anymore. Even my weekends are booked solid, and the only time I have to post is when I'm waiting on the laundry downstairs, which is not enough time to devote to being interesting. We've always tried to keep the bar high here, and even we will admit we're slipping. A lifelong friend who loves my Facebook comments asked me if my blog was as funny. My answer? 'We'll it USED to be".

Need a few other reasons? OK... It's been hard to blog about SC Politics from 700 miles away - the leads kind of dry up, and people who used to keep me up to date have gone elsewhere. Another big reason is that I've been dealing with health issues as well. My bad chlolesterol is atrocious, so I'm on some meds that drop your blood pressure and sap your strength a bit, but my Sinuses have been murderous for months on end now, and the doctors are telling me that I'm doing all I can. Ever try to concentrate with a vice grip on your head? It doesn't work to good.

I guess I knew for sure that the end was here was when I went down to South Carolina, had four days off - and didn't blog once. Sure, there were things to write about, but the desire to do so just wasn't there. But, on the positive side, I think the reason I'm quitting is that SC6 came in with a purpose - and we've pretty much reached our goal. We've always view ourselves as the Political Jeremiah, to make a rare Bible simile for us. For years, we railed against what was wrong with our Congressman, our state , our party and other things as well. We didn't have all the answers, but we think we've given a good blueprint to fixing it. After six years of being on the road and blogging about it, we think it's finally taking hold. People are fed up, getting involved, and doing something about it .... and we take ALL the credit for it!

So, when will SC6 sign off for good? We're not sure yet. There are some good milestones ahead: the General Elections, our Five Year Anniversary on December 18th (Grandpa Minissale's Birthday), and we're getting near the 3000 post milestone as well. In short, we have no idea right now, but our focus will be on finding some good material, getting it out whenever we can, and hoping we finish on a high note - not the crap that Oprah's been boring everyone with this year... Any suggestions on your favorite stuff is appreciated, and encouraged. Thanks for reading all these years, and let the countdown begin - we guess Karen Floyd can't wait!